Apple Butter

When I was 9 years old, my grandparents bought me the American Girl Doll, Felicity.  I was fascinated with reading Felicity's books and learning about the history of colonial Williamsburg.  I had so much fun playing with the doll and her wonderful accessories.  A few years later, I received Felicity's sixth book, Changes For Felicity.  The book starts out with Felicity picking apples to make into apple butter.  As I went back in time with her, I helped her stir the apple butter over the fire.  That was when I decided I wanted to try making my own apple butter!  I found a recipe in an old church cookbook, and tweaked it around until I came up with this recipe.

My dad and brothers are particularly fond if this apple butter, and I try to make a bunch every year to keep them in good supply.  Even though the process is a little time consuming, the results are well worth the effort.      


Start out with about 25 apples.  As an experiment, this year I also threw in about a cup of crab apples.

Quarter the apples - no need to peel or core.  I also think that keeping the peels on while cooking adds a few extra nutrients to the finished apple butter.

Here you can see the crabapples mixed in with the others - I didn't quarter the crabapples.

Place apples in a large heavy-bottomed pot and add 3 cups of apple cider.  I like to use apple cider rather than water as it gives the apple butter more flavor.

Cook down the apples until the whole mixture is soft (not pictured) (because I forgot to take a picture of this part).  Remove from heat and let the mixture cool slightly. 

Then, place a sieve over a bowl and press the cooked apple mixture through the sieve.  Discard the skins and core pieces. You could also use a food mill, but I have found that this sieve/glass technique gives me a much better consistency. 

Place the apple mixture in clean pot.  Add sugar and spices.

Let cook for about 3 hours, or until darkened and thick.  Pack into hot sterilized jars and boiling water bath for 10 minutes. 

Apple butter is delicious on toast, sandwiches, scones, oatmeal, waffles, pancakes, french toast or just out of the jar!

Terra's Old Fashioned Apple Butter

• 20 medium apples
• 3 cups apple cider
• 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger
• 1 heaping teaspoon cloves
• 5 to 5 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Cut apples into 4ths.  Put into heavy kettle.  Add cider and cover.  Cook over low heat until very tender, stirring often (will scorch easily!).  Cool slightly, then rub through a sieve or use a food mill to remove apple skins and seeds.  Measure out pressed apples, which should be about 11 cups of pulp.  Put into clean heavy kettle.  Add sugar; you want about half as much sugar as pulp.  Stir in spices.  Simmer over low heat until dark and thick, for two or three hours.  Stir frequently, as this scorches easily.  A nonstick pot or pan works well for this procedure.

Remove from heat and pour into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headroom.  Tighten lids, process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.  The apple butter will thicken as it stands.

Homemade Mustard

When I made Alton Brown's homemade pretzels for the first time several years ago, I also tried making his homemade mustard.  Since then, I've decided that making my own mustard is so tasty, easy and cheap that I started keeping it around all the time.  It begins as a zippy spread that lasts in the refrigerator for about a month, and mellows nicely over that period of time. 


To start, I place some brown sugar and spices in a bowl. 

And collect the wet ingredients in a measuring cup.

Then, stir the wet and dry ingredients together and microwave for one minute.

And use the stick blender to mix for one minute.  Then, the mixture is left to cool down without a lid.  This helps to thicken the mustard. 

As you can see, the mustard thickens as it cools.

Then, I use a funnel to put the mustard into a handy squeeze bottle.  It will keep in the refrigerator for about a month.  We use it on sandwiches, hamburgers, pretzels, and in any recipe where mustard or Dijon mustard is called for.   

Homemade Mustard 

• 1/4 cup dry mustard powder
• 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 cup sweet pickle juice
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup whole yellow mustard seed  

In a small, microwave-proof bowl whisk together the dry mustard, brown sugar, salt, turmeric, paprika and garlic powder.  In a separate container (a liquid measuring cup works great), combine the pickle juice, white wine and cider vinegar and have standing by.

Place the mustard seed into a spice grinder and grind for a minimum of one minute, stopping to pulse occasionally.  Once ground, immediately add the mustard to the bowl with the dry ingredients and add the liquid mixture.  Whisk to combine.  Place the bowl into the microwave and heat on high for one minute. Remove from the microwave and puree with a stick blender for one minute.  Allow to cool uncovered on counter. Once cool, cover and store in the refrigerator for up to one month.  I like to place the mustard in a handy squeeze bottle for ease of later serving.  

Homemade Cucumber Relish

One thing I've learned over the years is that when the cucumbers get too big, it is time to make relish.  When I am working my three twelve hour shifts in a row, it is difficult to get out to the garden for a few days.  Meanwhile, the cucumbers keep growing! 

I've been making my own relish for years, and it is one thing my family always requests when we cook hot dogs over the bonfire.  Well, cucumber relish and smores.  But that is another post.


So, we start with cucumbers that are a bit too big for pickles but not all bloated and yellow.  The super large yellow cucumbers tend to be bitter.      

To start the relish, I take my large pickling cucumbers, cut them in half and scoop out the seeds.  I don't peel them, since I think the peels 1) add a bit of extra nutrients and 2) make the relish more crispy.
 

The easiest way I have found to mince the vegetables is to pulse them in the food processor.  SO EASY. 

I picked a bunch of miscellaneous peppers from the garden to add to the relish.  I make sure to get some red peppers in there, too. 

Then, the minced cucumbers, onions and mixed peppers are put in a large bowl and sprinkled with turmeric. 

Then, the whole mixture is soaked in salt water for 3-4 hours. 

Just a couple more steps and voila!  homemade canned cucumber relish. 

Cucumber Relish

• 2 quarts chopped cucumbers (about 8 medium)
• 2 cups chopped misc. sweet peppers (make sure you get red in there)
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 1/2 cup pickling salt
• 2 quarts cold water
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 4 cups white distilled vinegar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seed
• 2 teaspoons whole allspice
• 2 teaspoons whole cloves

Combine vegetables in a large bowl; sprinkle with turmeric.  Dissolve salt in 2 quarts of cold water and pour over vegetables.  Let stand 3 to 4 hours.  Drain, cover vegetables with cold water and let stand 1 hour.  Drain thoroughly.  Combine sugar and vinegar in a large sauce pan.  Tie spices in a spice bag, add to sugar mixture.  Bring to a boil, pour over vegetables.  Cover; let stand 12 to 18 hours in a cool place.  Bring vegetables to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until hot.  Pack hot relish into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space.  Adjust two-piece caps.  Process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.  Makes about 6 pints.

"Clear" Coleslaw

I've decided that I like vinegar/oil based dressing rather than mayonnaise based dressings for coleslaw.  "Clear" vinaigrette dressings are healthier, and I really like that delightful sweet-and-sour tang.

I made this quick and easy coleslaw the other day, and it was a hit.  You can certainly adjust the recipe based on your personal tastes, or what you have on hand.  Also, it is best if you can let this coleslaw rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour - the resting period allows the vegetables to pick up flavors from the vinaigrette. 

 

One last note: you can certainly use green or red cabbage - I just liked the color of this red cabbage I picked from the garden. 

"Clear" Red Coleslaw

Vinaigrette

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1-2 tablespoons sugar or honey (to taste)
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (I used the roasted garlic variety)

Coleslaw

• 1/2 head medium sized cabbage, shredded finely
• 1 cup green onions, sliced finely
• 1 cup celery, sliced finely
• 1 carrot, shredded finely

In a large bowl, mix together all of the dressing ingredients thoroughly.  Add all of the coleslaw ingredients, and mix - don't worry if the mixture seems a little dry at this time.  The vegetables will give out some water and create a looser dressing.  Refrigerate for at least an hour.  Before serving, give the salad a stir, taste, and adjust the seasonings if necessary.  Feel free to add any other vegetables you enjoy!

Dulce de Leche

Another fun (and delicious) experiment I tried was making traditional Dulce de Leche.  It was pretty easy, but it was time consuming, considering it has to be cooked for about 3 hours, and stirred occasionally/often.  But it was definitely worth it.  The Dulce de Leche has a great caramel flavor, but it is fuller than our traditional American caramels.  You can also taste the essence of vanilla lurking in the background.

This is the milk, sugar and vanilla bean mixture before it started to cook down.

The finished Dulce de Leche product.  It tastes absolutely wonderful.  You can put it over ice cream, poached pears, in or on a host of other desserts.  Or you can just put some in a bowl (yes, all by itself) and eat it with a spoon.  Or you could skip the bowl and just eat it from the jar.  It all works.

Dulce de Leche

4 cups whole milk (yes, whole please) 

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Combine the milk, sugar, vanilla bean and seeds in a large, 4-quart saucepan.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Once the sugar is dissolved, add the baking soda and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low and cook uncovered at a bare simmer. Stir occasionally.  An important thing to making this is to not re-incorporate the foam that appears on the top of the mixture and on the sides of the pan. Continue to cook for 1 hour, then remove the vanilla bean and continue to cook until the mixture is a dark caramel color and has reduced to about 1 cup.  This will take approximately 2 hours. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to a month.  I just put it a canning jar.